Cylinder locks

ABSTRACT

A CYLINDER LOCK COMPRISES A STATIONARY CYLINDER HOUSING AND A CYLINDER TURNABLE THEREIN. THE CYLINDER ENCLOSED A PLURALITY OF LOCKING DISKS WHICH ARE TURNABLE BY MEANS OF THE KEY OF THE LOCK. THE TORQUE OF THE KEY IS TRANSMITTED THROUGH ONE OR SEVERAL OF SAID LOCKING DISKS BY MEANS OF RADIAL PROJECTIONS ENGAGING ONE SIDE BORDER OF AN OPENING IN THE SIDE OF THE CYLINDER. THE TORQUE TRANSMISSION IS ARRANGED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE CYLINDER CANNOT BE LOADED BY TURNING FORCES AT ITS OTHER END, THAT IS THE END FROM WHICH THE KEY IS INSERTED.

Dec. 7, 1971 l. v. SINERVO CYLINDER LOCKS Filed July 2, 1969 UnitedStates Patent 3,625,034 CYLINDER LOCKS Into Vilho Sinervo, Helsinki,Finland, assignor to 0y Wartsila AB, Helsinki, Finland Filed July 2,1969, Ser. No. 838,491 Claims priority, application Finland, July 5,1968, 1,938/68 Int. Cl. Eb 9/04, 29/00 US Cl. 70-366 1 Claim ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a cylinder lockcomprising a stationary cylinder housing, a cylinder turnable thereinand enclosing a plurality of locking disks turnable by means of a key,said locking disks having radial projections moving within an opening inthe side of said cylinder, at least one of said projections beingarranged to transmit turning force from said key to said cylinder.

In the following the expression the outer end of the lock means that endof the lock from which the key is inserted. Consequently, the outer mostlocking disk relates to the first locking disk at the outer end of thelock as defined above. The opposite end of the lock is called the innerend.

In known cylinder locks with locking disks, the turning force istransmitted from the key of the lock to the cylinder through theoutermost and the innermost disk by means of arranging the radialprojections of said disks to push against the border of said opening inthe side of the cylinder. From the cylinder the turning force istransmitted further to any mechanism connected to the lock, for instancethe locking bolt of a doorlock. The opening in the side of the cylinderis usually open at the outer end of the cylinder and accordingly theouter part of the cylinder is relatively weak and is not very suitablefor transmitting great turning forces. The invention is based on theobservation that the load acting on the cylinder is more advantageous ifthe torque is transmitted from the key to the cylinder only a theusually closed inner end of the cylinder.

The object of the invention is to provide a cylinder lock in which thetorque is not transmitted from the key to the cylinder at the outer endof the cylinder. The invention is characterized in that the outermost ofthe locking disks is kept from transmitting a turning force from the keyof the lock to the cylinder. By his means it is obtained that the key ofthe lock transmits urning force only to the inner end of the cylinderand this provides a more advantageous loading of the cylinder.

The desired loading of the cylinder can be obtained in three differentways. It is possible to make the lock in such a way that at the outerend of the cylinder there is no such locking disk which turns themaximum angle allowed by the opening in the cylinder. If a locking diskdoes not turn the maximum angle, its projection will not reach theborder of said opening and consequently it cannot transmit any force tothe cylinder. The second way is to omit the radial projection from thelocking disks at the outer end of the lock which turn the maximum anglewith respect to the cylinder. As there is no projection, no forcePatented Dec. 7, 1971 can be transmitted to the cylinder from thelocking disks in question. The third way is to enlarge the opening inthe cylinder in the turning direction of the key when it is used to openthe lock. This enlargement is of course made only at the outer end ofthe lock. In this way the projection of the locking disk will neverreach the border of the opening in the cylinder, not even when thelocking disk has been turned said maximum angle.

In the following, the invention will be more fully described withreference to the attached drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows in axial section a locking according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a section taken along line AA of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 shows aside view of the lock cylinder of a lock according to another embodimentof the invention.

In the drawing, 1 indicates the cylinder housing of the lock, 2 theturnable cylinder, 3 the locking disks, 4 the radial projections of thelocking disks and 5 and 6 the side borders of the opening in thecylinder receiving the radial projections 4. Further, 7 indicates thekeyhole and 8 the innermost end portion of the cylinder 2 which endportion is connected to a mechanism (not shown) which is operated by thelock. The lock is shown in a position in which the cylinder is releasedand the lock starts to operate the mechanism to which it is connected.The radial projection 4a of the innermost locking disk 3a has in thismoment moved into engagement with the side border 6 of the opening inthe cylinder 2. When the key is turned further in a clockwise directionthe projection 4a pushes against the border 6 so that the torque of thekey is transmitted through the locking disk 3a to the cylinder 2 andthrough the end portion 8 of the cylinder to the mechanism connected tothe lock.

The outermost locking disk 3b usually turns in this kind of lock thesame angle as the innermost locking disk 4a and consequently in knownlocks the torque of the key is transmitted to the cylinder also throughthe outermost locking disk. In a lock according to FIGS. 1 and 2 theload transmittance from the outermost locking disk 3b to the cylinder 2has been prevented by removing the projection of this locking disk. In alock having a cylinder 2 of the kind shown in FIG. 3 the said loadtransmittance has been prevented by means of enlarging the opening inthe cylinder at the position of the outermost locking disk.

I claim:

1. A cylinder lock comprising a stationary cylinder housing, a cylindersupported in said housing and turnable therein, said cylinder having aclosed inner end and an open outer end, and a plurality of locking discssupported in said turnable cylinder and turnable by insertion of a keyat the open end of the cylinder into the discs and turning the keyrelative to said cylinder, said locking discs including radialprojections movable within an opening in the side of said cylinder, atleast one of said projections being arranged to transmit turning forcefrom said key to said cylinder, said opening in said cylinder at theposition of the outermost of the locking discs in that end of the lockfrom which said key is inserted, being enlarged in the direction ofturning of said key when the key is used to open said lock, whereby theoutermost locking disc is free from transmitting turning force from saidkey to said cylinder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,613,528 10/1952 Salmivuori'70-366 ROBERT L. WOLFE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 70 -373

